Articles by Christian Barnett

Technology

'We wouldn’t put battery hens in places like this' - Outraged councillors reject ‘battery farm’ HMO plan for Smethwick high street

The move to open the 11-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) above Viney’s Opticians in Smethwick High Street was rejected by Sandwell Council’s planning committee amid a warning that allowing the shared accommodation was turning parts of the borough into slums. Residents and local councillors said Smethwick High Street was...